Half of respondents believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life.

According to a global survey, half of people believe in the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.

According to a survey of 26,000 people across 24 countries, nearly half of people believe that intelligent extraterrestrial life exists somewhere in the universe.

When asked if they believe in “the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations,” 47% of those surveyed said yes.

However, when survey respondents were asked if they believed in “some form of life on other planets,” 61% said yes.

Of those who believe we are not alone, 60% say we should try and communicate with aliens.

Martijn Lampert, research director at Glocalities, who conducted the survey, commented: "Those who believe in the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations are not a minority, but rather represent a significant (47%) and are clearly anti-authoritarian and unconventional thinkers with a passion for science, technology, culture, politics and the arts."

Only a quarter of respondents said they did not believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life beyond Earth's borders.

“The recent discovery of exoplanets seems to have fueled people's interest in understanding the mysteries of the universe and the life forms that might exist on other planets,” said Lampert.

“If and when the discovery of life on other planets is confirmed by the scientific community in the coming years, it is likely that this group will become more involved in debates about the future of humanity and Earth's place in the universe.”

Interestingly, NASA believes there may be bacterial life in our solar system – hidden in the oceans beneath the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

“This is the closest we’ve come so far to finding out where some of the ingredients needed for habitability are,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at its Washington headquarters.

"These results demonstrate the interconnected nature of NASA's science missions that are bringing people closer to answering the question of whether we are alone in the universe."

According to Dantri